GPA Cares: Supporting Communities That Matter

Community is one of GPA’s five core values. It shapes how strong relationships are built and how teams give back to the communities where they live and work.

GPA Cares helps bring that value to life. For more than a decade, it has served as a strategic initiative led by the Community and Culture team, creating structure around how the organization gives back.

Every year, each office commits to one to two community initiatives per quarter, creating a consistent rhythm of involvement throughout the year. This approach ensures that community engagement is directly tied to how each office operates and the communities that support them.

In addition, the program supports both local and nationwide initiatives. Offices focus on organizations within their own communities, while broader efforts allow teams across GPA to contribute to shared causes. This balance creates both local impact and collective reach.

Participation stays flexible so more people can get involved. In-office and remote employees take part through volunteer days, donations, and gift giving efforts. This allows every team member to contribute in a way that fits their role and location.

GPA Cares also creates shared experiences across teams. It brings employees together outside of project work and gives them the opportunity to collaborate in a different way. These moments strengthen relationships internally while also supporting organizations that rely on community involvement to continue their work.

GPA Cares continues to evolve each year alongside the organization. The program adapts based on what teams see in their communities and where support is needed most.

At its core, GPA Cares reflects how GPA shows up to give back to the communities that drive its work. It reinforces a culture where giving back is not separate from the work, but part of how GPA operates every day.

GPA Cares Spotlight: A Day at Shoofly Farm

On Friday, March 20, the Virginia team spent the day volunteering at Shoofly Farm.

Shoofly Farm is a family-owned rescue farm with a much deeper purpose than what is seen at first glance. The property carries history, with a barn built in 1940 and a farmhouse that dates back to 1879. Today, it serves as a space where animals find care and people find something just as important.

The farm provides a home for horses, goats, pigs, a donkey, and a miniature pony. It also opens its doors to the community through events, family visits, and free farm days throughout the year. As the farm prepares for its visitor season, the work behind the scenes becomes just as important as the experiences it creates.

What makes Shoofly different is not just what it offers, but why it exists. The farm was built out of personal hardship. After facing years of serious health challenges within their family, the owners found a sense of peace through the land and the animals. That experience now shapes the mission of Shoofly Farm. It creates a place where others can step away, reset, and find a sense of comfort, even if just for a moment.

That purpose shows up in everything they do, and it shaped how the GPA team approached the day.

The team got to work across the property to help prepare the farm for the upcoming season. They raked hay and leaves, cleared flower beds, and supported general upkeep of the space. Each task helped create a clean, safe, and welcoming environment for both the animals and the families who will visit.

Throughout the day, the team also spent time with the animals. They fed them, interacted with them, and experienced firsthand the environment Shoofly Farm creates. It brought a different level of meaning to the work and made the impact easy to see.

Shoofly Farm gives animals a place to live and gives people a place to pause, connect, and heal.

That is where GPA Cares connects. It is about showing up and supporting organizations like Shoofly Farm in ways that help them continue their mission, especially in the moments that matter most.